Groveport hires city engineer

Someone familiar will fill the new city engineer's job in Groveport: Steve Farst, previously with EMH&T.

Farst has served several central Ohio communities, including most recently both Canal Winchester and Groveport, during his tenure at the municipal engineering consulting firm. However, starting Feb. 17, he'll be a full-time employee of the city of Groveport.

The new position was approved by Groveport City Council in December. After an agreement to offer Farst the position at an advanced pay grade was approved by council at its first meeting in January, he accepted the job.

According to City Administrator Marsha Hall, Farst's base salary will be $91,446.49 annually, plus the normal, full-time employee benefits.

Hall said the city decided to go with a staff engineer for two primary reasons.

"We did an analysis of the history of engineering costs for the last five years, and we believe this move will be a substantial savings," she said. "Having an engineer on staff will also be better customer service for our businesses and residents by lowering the cost for site plan reviews, being more available to answer questions and reducing the time it takes for engineering reviews."

Farst provided his last report as an EMH&T consultant at Canal Winchester City Council's Jan. 21 meeting. He thanked officials in that city for the opportunity to work with them.

"I've been extended an offer to be the city engineer at Groveport. It's a good opportunity -- tough to leave the company I've been with for 24 years, but I'm energized about starting and want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to serve you," he said. "I'm only down the road, though, so I'm sure we'll work through some inner-city relationships."